Synopsis:

The story of Heaven and Earth is that of a young Vietnamese woman's journey from not only the war torn country side of Vietnam to the USA but more importantly her self actualization and the self realization of her own personal worth and abilities to survive and prosper even in the most dire of circumstances. In 1953 the French plundered Vietnam. After them, the VC or Viet Cong resistance movement came and, following them, the United States stepped in. The VC identified themselves as resistance fighters for the Vietnamese people. When in actuality, they were worse than the foreign invaders. They came with wonderful platitudes and tales of independence however, if they felt that you wronged them in any way, the retribution would be severe and often times fatal. Le Ly lost her younger brother to the resistance and found torture and rape at the hands of the American backed resistance as well. In an attempt to save her daughter, Le Ly's mother took her to the prosperous city of Saigon where they found work in a wealthy Vietnamese household. The head of the house had a wandering eye and Le Ly having never known that kind of love fell into his trap and found herself pregnant. After losing this job her mother returned to their village to assist her father in watching over the spirits of their ancestors. Knowing she has brought shame on her household, she moves to the city of Da Nang where her sister works as a prostitute for the American GI's stationed in the area. One thing leads to another and she meets her true love, Steve. He's a Marine Sergeant who appears to love her and her son. They end up marrying and moving to California after Steve's tour is complete. However, the demons that Steve had in Vietnam have followed him home. Coupled with the empty promises he was counting on to see him through as a civilian, it becomes more than Steve can bear. And again, Le Ly has to rely upon her inner strength to see her through this latest crisis. This is not your typical Hollywood film and it does not bear that typical fanciful fell or ending. Suffice it to say, Heaven and Earth is a glimpse into the world of horror, both Americans and Vietnamese faced during the raging conflict known as the Vietnam War.

Audio/Video:

The audio for the feature is presented in a 5.1 DD platform that while not aggressive in its presentation is very nicely produced. There are a fair amount of pyrotechnics and aural textures such as rain, helicopter flybys and the film's incredible score by New Age artist Kitaro, that go to make this a top notch audio presentation. A note for Kitaro's score. I've been "into" Kitaro since my college days and was blown away by the work he did for this film. The score for lack of a better term is extremely emotional and weaves a binding cord if you will, around the film's elements/ The end result is an incredible aural experience that ends up being a character all it's own. Director's Commentary. This is my second Oliver Stone Disc review and I have to say his commentary tracks are extremely well presented and full of enormous amounts of information. For instance, when talking about scoring the film with Kitaro, he identified that this was Kitaro's first feature film soundtrack. (He did do one for an anime title previously but, never for a film such as this.) As such he was really unaware of what was needed to accomplish the task. This led to many failed attempts until both he and Stone clicked and the end result was phenomenal. Additionally, he provides a wealth of information on the political situation during the war and really involves you in the events unfolding onscreen. Excellent commentary track.

Much like the audio, the video is pretty incredible. The transfer is artifact free and the contrasts are pretty awesome to say the least. This film is a feast for the eyes as well as the ears. His use of colors and the natural landscape of Vietnam provide startling vistas coupled with some of the most beautiful hues I have ever seen. Truly, if this film is his canvas, he has painted and captured the elements of Heaven and Earth. No transfer errors were noted. Simply a beautiful widescreen transfer that sparkles with clarity.

Extras:

There are nine deleted scenes included. All varying in degrees of quality. The most exciting extra however is the original 30-minute opening of the film featuring Kitaro's fabulous score. With a running commentary as provided by Stone. A trailer for the film is also included.

Overall:

I saw this film when it opened and was floored by the story as well as the presentation. Oliver Stone has really outdone himself with this entry into the codex of Vietnam era films. Having two previous entries (Platoon and Born on the Fourth of July), this third cemented his viewpoints on the war and provided a ken insight into his take on the vents that led up to the war and the events since. While Schindler's List was released the same time and is an equally incredible film, it overshadowed Heaven and Earth and consequently rendered it as a directorial misfire. Make no mistake, this is as hard hitting as it gets. The Killing Fields and Platoon were the most powerful films I had seen on the war until Heaven and Earth. Having seen all three I can say that, Heaven And Earth holds it's own and is defiantly worthy of your time. Highly Recommended.